How many Brits are fighting with the Islamic State? Nobody knows

The truth is that we know very little about how many Brits are fighting with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Hooded ISIS gunmen led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, commander of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

The Prime Minister has admitted it's looking “increasingly likely” that the militant who executed journalist James Foley is part of a group of British jihadists, nicknamed The Beatles and based in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.

This jarring revelation has sparked a debate on just how many Brits are fighting in the IS's ranks.

Wait...

“I think...”

In other words, this might be a figure plucked from thin air, particularly given that Mahmood apparently based this estimate on the Government’s lack of border controls as well as the following observation :

"If you look across the whole of the country, and the various communities involved, 500 going over each year would be a conservative estimate.”

He also told the BBC that his “conservative” estimates are based on the size of the Syrian, Kurdish, South East Asian and North and East African communities in Britain.

Not tremendously convincing. As far as we can tell, Mr Mahmood's figures haven't been sourced and aren't corroborated by anyone else.

While they're no doubt sincere estimates, there's not a shred of evidence to back them up.

“There are now almost three times as many British Muslims fighting for Islamic State than there are serving in the UK military, an MP has claimed.”

There are over 600 British Muslims currently serving in the Armed Forces, according to the Ministry of Defence. Is it really true that 1,800 Britons are fighting for IS? Or is the Mail perhaps putting a good story before relying on verifiable sources?

This is important!

The presence of British-born fighters in Syria and Iraq is a critical issue - and it's on the increase. But if we're serious about approaching this threat, we have to work with reliable and verifiable data. Anything else is merely scaremongering.

We contacted Mr Mahmood to verify the basis of his figure and will adjust the article accordingly if it he furnishes us with any sources.